Father of the Heartless
by Ugly Kitten
Summary: On his search for Kairi, Riku mysteriously loses consciousness. He awakens on a world known as Yan-Shu, where a girl named Criss rescues him from being devoured by the ruler. Can he escape with his life? AU, RikuCriss. From Riku's POV. COMPLETED
1. Calico Crisis

I am working on my other stories, but I decided to throw this one out there. I never, in a million years, thought I'd be using this story. (I write story ideas in my notebook all the time—I never stop getting them.) But then, I got inspired by my cat, who scared the eggs out of my dad.  
  
So, here it is, my first horror story.  
  
I don't own Kingdom Hearts.  
  
Chapter 1: Calico Crisis  
  
Father of the Heartless.  
  
Few things in this world would frighten Riku Sawaguchi. The Heartless hadn't frightened him. Maleficent, with her green skin and tantalizing talk, less so. He wasn't scared of never seeing his parents again. Hurt, but not scared, of the fact that Sora had betrayed him for that stupid Keyblade. Had betrayed Kairi.  
  
No, nothing much frightened him.  
  
With the possible exception of cats.  
  
And as there was a lovely calico staring at him with shining red eyes, he had a lot to be afraid of. In the darkness, he could hardly see the cat's bristled tail.  
  
"Yah!" he tried to jump to his feet.  
  
In his haste, his feet couldn't catch the ground. His hands slid on the smooth surface. The cat crept forward. She bared her teeth. He kicked at the ground. His foot connected with the calico's chest.  
  
It flew in a graceful arc into the darkness around them.  
  
"Hey! Cleopatra didn't do anything to you."  
  
Riku glanced up, heaving a sigh of faint relief. A young woman had caught the cat and was holding her safely away from him. As long as it stayed there, he was safe.  
  
"Are you kidding?" Riku retorted. "It tried to attack me!"  
  
"She has a name, you know," said the woman. "It's Cleopatra. Or Cleo. Who're you?"  
  
Riku ran a hand through his hair, pulling it out of his eyes. The woman's attitude astounded him. Even in the darkness, he could see that her patchy hair almost matched the cat's fur in design, with orange, brown, and white patches. Eyes blue as robin eggs narrowed when he hesitated.  
  
"I asked you a question, dude," she said. "What is your name?"  
  
"Riku," he said. "Sorry, but I didn't catch yours."  
  
"That's because I didn't tell you it. I'm Criss. Where'd you come from? And how come that fella just dropped you off here like an old dog?"  
  
Riku scratched his head. "What?"  
  
"You don't remember? Jeez," Criss glanced in either direction, holding the cat close to her chest. "C'mon. You'd better come with me. If anyone sees you, you're probably dead."  
  
"What do you mean, dead?"  
  
"Listen, you got dumped in the wrong world." She glanced around again, then grabbed his gloved hand. "Trust me, you don't want to be caught in those clothes. You'll be dead long before you could ever think of escaping."  
  
"My clothes? What's wrong with—"  
  
"No time."  
  
Criss ran down the dark alleyway. Riku caught a quick glimpse of a large gunny sack before they rounded the corner. Despite the cat, she was really fast and strong. Continually, she peeked around corners and glanced at signs written in a language Riku couldn't read. It was still dark, and there were no street lamps or store windows to light the alleys. All Riku knew was darkness.  
  
It wasn't that great of an improvement over Hallow Bastion, which had been, at best, uncomfortable and daunting. All he remembered was Maleficent showing him Sora with those two King's aides, and then being whisked off in a Gummi Ship to find Kairi. It had only been him and Hades.  
  
The god of the underworld hadn't been the greatest of company, but at least he liked to talk. As soon as they'd reached the Coliseum, however, he'd gotten off and Riku was alone. Who was this Criss person talking about?  
  
They rounded another corner, but Criss stopped short, pushing him back around. She whispered to him to stay put. The dark in this alley was black as the Heartless and deep as a chasm. He heard her voice ahead.  
  
"There was a boy over on Hollow Street," she said. "If you go straight down that road there, I'm pretty sure you'll find him. He was wearing bright yellow and had silver hair."  
  
"A mere boy, in yellow with silver hair?" Another voice sniffed angrily. She, too, was a woman. "I'll put a stop to that, right, YaYa? Thanks for the tip, Criss."  
  
Instead of one pair of shoes, a thousand pairs marched in time to a rhythm Riku had never heard before. Criss reappeared from the shadows and grabbed his hand again, yanking him through a black, windowless door. No light fell on them, no noise, no warmth from the cold outside. What kind of place was this?  
  
"Wait right here," Criss ordered.  
  
He didn't argue. With that cat in her arms, Riku didn't feel like having his legs used as a scratching post. Criss's words from before rang in his head. What was so wrong with him wearing yellow and having silver hair? Why was this place so dark, cold, and quiet?  
  
"Oh, you need light, don't you," Criss said.  
  
From somewhere across the room, a flame erupted from a tiny spark to fill an enormous fireplace to his left. The cat leapt from Criss's arms and curled up on a threadbare rug on the hearth. Now that there was light in the room, Riku had some time to look around.  
  
Simplicity and black must have been something this place strived for. Dirt covered the floor, which upon further inspection revealed that there was no floor at all. A straight-legged table sat to one side of the room, with two chairs of the same design. The fireplace seemed to dominate the room, and only upon close inspection did he spy a thick but worn quilt on the ground in the farthest corner. Criss was rummaging through a closet near the quilt, but other than that, he saw no other doors but the one through which he had come.  
  
"Quickly, you must change before they see you," she said, throwing him a black sort of jumpsuit and a thin black cloak. "I will dye your hair. Until you find your way to get away, you are free to stay with me."  
  
"Wait, why do I have to change my clothes, my hair?" Riku quirked his brow. "Where am I?"  
  
Criss sighed, drawing the cat to her. For once since she rescued him from the cat, she looked at him straight in the eye. What he saw shocked him. Though they did not glitter with tears, Riku saw a sadness in those robin- egg-eyes that he would never forget. In a few seconds, she'd told him everything he needed to know.  
  
Whatever was going on here was not right.  
  
"This is the world of Yan-Shu," she said. "I know that you traveled here from far away. Maybe you are from a world that would be called Utopia. Riku, I'll tell ya right now, tarts. You are on the world that is the farthest possible from the Door to the Light. All that is known here is darkness. Even the mighty legendary Keyblade cannot save us. The Heartless devour none here, because darkness exists far worse in the hearts of the rulers of this land than ever has been in recorded history."  
  
Riku blinked. "Then aren't you lucky? Your world will never be destroyed then, right?"  
  
"You don't understand. We are better off dead than be ruled by Yan and Shu. We are better off being Heartless. Riku, had you been found in anything brighter than dark gray on the streets of Yan-Shu, you would have been stunned, bled, and pickled to be eaten by Yan. Shu eats only women. Yan eats only men. Yan's appetite grows faster every day, soon, he will stop finding excuses to eat a man and simply pluck them off the street. Every day, we live in fear.  
  
"Quickly, you must change before you, too, are eaten!"  
  
Riku only nodded numbly. What kind of place was this? Rulers who ate their own subjects? Somehow, Criss put out the fire, plunging them both into darkness again. He undressed and redressed quickly. When through, he let Criss know and she relit the fire.  
  
How had she done that?  
  
"Now, to dye your hair." She placed her hand upon his head and swept her fingers once through his hair. Riku pulled a bit of his hair so he could see, and found himself staring at all black hair.  
  
"How did you—"  
  
"Magic. Simple, really. Yan-Shu once was famous throughout the worlds as a place where you only had to imagine something and it would come true. We're the reason why the walls broke down. No one knew the Heartless would come, until they came."  
  
"The Heartless didn't break the barriers?"  
  
"Not by themselves. Yan helped."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Yan is the Father of the Heartless."  
  
Riku started. "I thought the Heartless were born of the darkness in people's hearts."  
  
"The new ones, yes," Criss smiled, her face sad as rue. "The original two hundred came from the womb of Yan. Yan wished to see the Heartless live more vibrant lives, because they were always dark and bored in this one little town. So he used his magic and broke down the barriers. He watched in sadistic glee as his Children reproduced, feeding on the hearts of the innocent.  
  
"As each person fell, he grew hungrier for food. With each new Heartless, his hunger increases. He could eat an entire crop of corn in one setting and still be hungry. The people of Yan-Shu went out of business doing anything else but farm to satiate his hunger. And still, it's not enough. Finally, the palace cooks just couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"They went to the city morgue and got one of our own. And Yan liked it. Yan liked the meat of his dead servant so much, in fact, that he commanded all prisoners and dead be brought to him. At first, he was full after only one or two people. Then, he started asking for three. Four. Eight. Twelve. Forty. Sixty. He is now up to asking for over two hundred people every day.  
  
"The population is dwindling every day, as he grows hungrier and hungrier. No one knows where Shu can from, or how she escaped being Yan's next meal. All we know is now we have to feed her our people, too. She's up to ten a day. There is a building uptown, where our lightest of criminals go. People who forget a patch of their hair or smile in Yan's presence. I think they get the worst of the deal."  
  
Riku bit his lip. What could be worse than being one of two hundred men who were eaten every day by that monster? He managed to croak out: "Why?"  
  
"They are the ones responsible for creating the 'Yan's Special'," Criss whispered, gulping hard. "For some reason, the more innocent the person, the more full Yan is. Which is why children—the most innocent of all—are Yan's special 'Sunday snack'. The people in that building do nothing but procreate and feed him once a week."  
  
Riku gagged. He had leapt from one harmless nightmare to a full-fledged horror movie. How would he escape alive? Would Kairi believe him when he told her about this? Would Sora, if he ever forgave him? One thing, however, stood out in his mind.  
  
"How can I help?"  
  
"W-What?"  
  
"I said, 'How can I help?' Isn't there a rebellion? Something? What's the plan, what are we going to do about this?"  
  
"Why would you even consider helping us? You're not from here, you don't know what Yan's like! He loves rebels most of all! If he catches you—"  
  
"What am I supposed to do, farm with the rest of you until he decides that my eyes are too blue-green and eats me?"  
  
"If you just follow the rules—"  
  
"They're constantly changing."  
  
"But if—"  
  
"Sometimes it's best to just lie low," Riku said. "But now that shouldn't be a way to stay alive. It should be a war tactic."  
  
Cleo jumped into his chest.  
  
Claws extended.  
  
Ouch.  
  
So, what do you think? Worth continuing? Or should I trash it? Am I really any good at horror? 


	2. Bars

Thanks to my new reviewer, I have decided to continue this tale. More surprises await us in the second chapter of the Father of the Heartless!  
  
I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku. I do own Cleo, Criss, and the world of Yan-Shu and this plotline do not steal it. Thank you and have a pleasant day.  
  
Chapter 2: Bars  
  
The nights on Yan-Shu had always been long. Since the darkness fell, night had taken on a new meaning. When the Heartless came, everything changed. Once, Yan-Shu had been a peaceful place, full of light and happiness. Children always played in the streets, long into the night. Then, night had been their ally, their cloak against whatever trivial danger preyed upon them.  
  
But no longer.  
  
Criss studied the face of the boy she had saved from certain death. So curved and feline-like, she was shocked to find him terrified of cats. Though, he fervently denied this. His hair had been silver. The color of royalty, silver was. It had to be dyed immediately. In the corner, his bright clothes sat, folded neatly away under a black cloak. Should any of Yan's footmen barge in, which they were apt to do, all they would see is the darkness that Criss had plunged them into again once Riku had fallen asleep.  
  
She didn't need much light to see, just as Cleo didn't. Yan-Shu's famous magic long ago allowed her the abilities she longed for. Most people were shocked to see her calico hair, but Yan approved of it, thank heavens. He liked cats, a lot, for some strange reason. Criss was sure she, as a lowly village girl without much money, would have been devoured long ago if she didn't share that with Yan.  
  
The night wore on outside, but Criss didn't sleep. She never slept so early in the night. In her blood ran the blood of Ages, a powerful but dormant magic that unfortunately made her a bit of an insomniac. Riku stirred. The quilt on which he lay was folded over several times, but it probably wasn't all too comforting for an outsider like him.  
  
Criss laid her head down next to Cleo, who purred in her sleep. Of all things, why did Yan love cats so much? Why did he have to share that one love with Criss? Why did he hate men so much, as he was one himself? No one, not even Shu herself, most likely, knew. Yan was pompous, but he kept his secrets well.  
  
Sitting up, Criss called a glass of water to her. This night would prove sleepless, too. She sighed, sipping at her water. Cleo growled, her cranberry eyes open again. She bounded over to Riku. Nestled in his arms, unbeknownst to him, she gave one final purr and fell fast asleep. Criss smiled. The boy would have a pleasant surprise when morning broke at last.  
  
Hazy yellow eyes pierced the darkness, half-lidded and groggy. What happened? Where was he? He ran a hand through his silver-white hair. Stopped short. What? Bars?! He shot his gaze toward every corner of the darkness. He was in a cage! How had he ended up in a cage?!  
  
"So you're awake at last," said a voice from the darkness. "Excellent."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Just an old...friend, you might say," said the voice. "Ansem, you don't look so good. Perhaps you'd better lie DOWN!" The cage jolted from nowhere, throwing Ansem to his knees. In the darkness, a face pressed closer. "Don't you remember me, Ansem? Your old colleague?"  
  
Ansem gasped. "Yan! What are you doing? Why have I been caged?" He grabbed the bars, shaking them roughly. Tried to call the Heartless, but they didn't come.  
  
Yan clicked his tongue in mock pity. "You can't do it anymore, old friend. The Heartless obey only one on this world. Me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Don't you know?" Yan grinned, his sharp teeth glistening. "I'm their father. And I'm hungry, Ansem. I'm always hungry."  
  
He opened the cage, a sharp knife in hand.  
  
Ansem's eyes widened, for the first time in a long while, in fear.  
  
There are places in the universe where no one can hear you scream. One is space.  
  
Another is Yan's lair.  
  
Nonetheless, Ansem screamed.  
  
I actually rather like Ansem, but I needed to defeat any purpose in your minds to think that Ansem and Yan were allies. Sorry to any Ansem fans like me! 


	3. Defense Force

Because I do not trust my computer at the moment, I'm going to update what I have right now. The plot thickens!  
  
I don't own Kingdom Hearts or Riku. Everything else is mine. Do not steal. Thanks.  
  
Chapter 3: Defense Force  
  
Maybe somewhere else, the sun rose, lighting the sky in a graceful pale blue. Yan-Shu's sun hid behind a cloak of black. The streets lit up in dark gray, not much better than the night had been. In the little one-room house, Riku stirred. He opened one eye, just a crack, to see if it had all been just a bad dream.  
  
And stared eye-to-eye into the face of Cleo the cat. He screamed. She yowled. Her claws went flying. When she finally walked away, he found himself nursing yet another wound. Three shallow claw marks bled in drips from his cheek.  
  
The fireplace erupted in flame, throwing light everywhere. Criss stood at the door, panting, Cleo clinging tightly to her chest. She set the cat down again.  
  
"Sorry about that," she said. "Cleo seems to have taken a liking to you. Here, let me see that." Criss touched his cheek gently with a damp towel that seemed to appear from nowhere. "It's not as bad as it could have been. You scared her, is all. Why are you so terrified of that little cat?"  
  
Riku scowled and turned away. No way was he going to tell this girl about his worst fear. It wasn't bad enough that he was stuck here with that cat. No, he had to tell her why it scared him now.  
  
"Fine, don't answer me," Criss snapped. "Just don't come crawling to me for protection when she decides she doesn't like you if you keep scaring her like that."  
  
A noise like rocks falling just outside the door ricocheted around the tiny house. Criss' eyes flew wide, like two moons on a summer night.  
  
"Criss Nallen, this is the Yan-Shu Defense Agency!" Yelled a deep female voice from the other side of the door. "You are under arrest for the possession of a cat. Come out with your right hand in the air and the cat in your left arm. Cooperate. You are hereby sentenced to three years in the Sunday Specials Building. I repeat—"  
  
"What do we do?" Riku whispered.  
  
Criss threw him a frightened look. "Cooperate?"  
  
Riku rolled his eyes. "No. Does this place have a back door?"  
  
For a moment, Riku thought Criss would just stand there, waiting for the "Defense Agency" to barge through her front door. Then, her jaw set, she grabbed Cleo and headed for the fireplace. The flames went out again, plunging them once more into total darkness. Somehow, she grabbed his arm and pulled him through the still-hot grate inside the fireplace. He dropped to the ground below, a good eight feet from the grate above.  
  
"Here, hold Cleo a sec," she said. Despite his fear, he held onto the calico. Above, he heard the grate slide back into place and the fire ignite again. In the new firelight, he could see that she was on a ladder connected to the damp stone wall.  
  
Criss dropped back down and took the cat back. "So, now what do we do?"  
  
"Do you know where this leads?" he asked.  
  
"Not really. The only reason I knew it was there was because of Cleo. This is where I found her, in this place. I don't even know what it is, let alone where it leads."  
  
Riku sighed, gazing toward either end of the tunnel. The ceiling was eight feet overhead. Moss grew from nearly every corner. The entire thing was like one huge circle, with a tiny stream of water trickling down the center. Criss' ladder was the only one that could be seen. Both ends curved, but not for at least half a mile in either direction.  
  
"We'd better get out of here," Riku said. "Which way do you want to go?"  
  
"Er...Eeny meenie minie moe?" Criss laughed nervously.  
  
"This direction seems a little closer. Let's go."  
  
They walked onward, following the tiny stream of water.  
  
YaYa knew her commander well enough to know that she never made mistakes. The commander knew what mistakes meant. If Shu, their leader, was in a good mood, a mistake meant the Sunday Special Building. Or maybe she'd just mercy-kill the perpetrator. If you caught her on a bad day, however, it was straight into the Choke Vines, to be bled to death, pickled and saved for later.  
  
Which was why she was wondering why Criss Nallen wasn't in her house. YaYa tore through the cabinet, ripped up the two quilts, and took samples from every nook and cranny she could find. The commander called her over, her voice choked from thought of what this mistake might cost her.  
  
YaYa gazed over her shoulder, where a black cloth was held in her hands. Underneath the cloth was a neat pile of clothes, cleverly disguised as a pillow. She picked it up, examining in curiosity.  
  
"Yellow clothes..." YaYa said.  
  
"Sent us on a wild goose chase last night," the commander said. "Seems she is also on the run. Someone tipped her off before we got here. Bring those. Shu will be most intrigued by this information."  
  
"You think we've got a rebellion on our hands?" YaYa asked, excited. "Oh, Yan will like that!"  
  
"Indeed. Come. There's nothing else here."  
  
The commander turned round and marched out of the room. Outside, the rest of the Defense Force waited silently for the commander's instructions. YaYa gave them.  
  
"Continue on normal routes," she said. "And keep a sharp lookout for two fugitives. Criss Nallen, and an unknown boy, approximately ye tall." She held up her arms as high as the clothes stood, with the addition of a head and feet. "They will most likely be together. Dismissed!"  
  
The dirge march continued as the thousand-strong army separated into groups of eight. YaYa and the commander made their way toward Shu's castle, which was beginning to reveal itself against the paling gray light. Neither spoke. If the information of a possible rebellion did not satiate Shu's anger at not receiving Criss Nallen, the commander was doomed.  
  
Uh-oh...what happened to Yan liking cats??? Soon, we shall meet this Shu person. What does she have to do with everything in this strange world? 


	4. Nekopolis

Okay, okay, here we go again. I love this story so much, I decided to update it again. I don't want to lose it. Thanks to my one and so far only reviewer, Byn. I really do enjoy your story about the Mystical Magical Nine Ball. Anyone else who comes along should read this story! It is hilarious! Ansem is sooo funny...and still, mostly, in character.  
  
Oops, I've gone on too much.  
  
I don't own Kingdom Hearts. I own most of the rest of this story. Please do not take without written permission.  
  
Chapter 4: Nekopolis  
  
The stream trickled down the center of the moss-covered stones. As it passed over the rough stone, it gave up a soothing twinkle of music, glittering in a pale glow that seemed to have no source. Riku slowed down. They approached the bend, which ten minutes ago had been nothing but a speck on the horizon. The opening was as tall as the old tunnel, but it dropped a few feet, obscuring whatever else might be down there.  
  
In Criss' arms, Cleo sniffed at the air.  
  
Riku held out his arm, pausing. If there was something down there, he wanted to have the advantage. Dropping to all fours, he approached the edge. He crept, watching every molecule of space he saw with each knee forward.  
  
At last, he reached the edge.  
  
Nothing.  
  
"It's okay," Riku said. "All clear." He jumped down and offered his hand to Criss. She ignored it and jumped beside him.  
  
"Where do you think we are?"  
  
Riku sighed. "I'm not from this world, how would I know?" He passed his gaze toward either end of this tunnel. Toward the left, the tunnel faded into darkness. To the right, however, it grew brighter. The bend was much closer now, maybe only ten yards or so off. Without asking, he headed for the light.  
  
"Where is this light coming from?" Criss gazed at it. "It's too bright and seamless to be firelight."  
  
"My sentiments exactly," Riku nodded. "Someone is down here."  
  
For a moment, Criss didn't answer. "Who would be down here?"  
  
"I can think of two possibilities. One is the rebellion. The other...I don't want to think about."  
  
This time, the trio approached the edge together, hunched over but still standing. Riku caught a glimpse of an enormous light fixture high above, in the center of the domed ceiling. The glimpse was all he caught. A strong hand reached from above, darkened by the light of the room behind it. Riku hit the floor. It was like being hit by Sora again when they played fight back on Destiny Islands.  
  
Criss screamed.  
  
Cleo yowled in fury.  
  
Their attackers began to laugh.  
  
Riku opened his eyes, confused. Why were they laughing? His attacker let go of his throat. The light from the room beyond left him still in the shadows. He offered Riku his hand, which Riku warily took.  
  
"S-Sorry, mate," said the attacker, still laughing between words. "We thought you were the Defense Force!"  
  
"We're not," Criss snapped, grabbing Cleo before the cat decided to scratch up the other attacker's face. This one was sprawled on the ground, red in the face, still laughing.  
  
"We realize that now," grinned Riku's attacker sheepishly. "I'm Bar. This hyena over here is Mars. We're on sentry duty today, and, frankly, you two are the first new ones in a while."  
  
"New ones?" Criss repeated. "Where are we?"  
  
"Ah, well," Mars stood importantly, squaring his shoulders and screwing up his face in an odd sort of mock-military stare. "Welcome to the Nekopolis! The City of Cats!" Riku felt his stomach fall to his feet and his heart rise in his throat. He managed to squeak: "The City...of...Cats?"  
  
Bar gestured to the city below the light Riku had seen. Thousands of tents surrounded one large stone building. People of all ages walked about, but at every one of their heels was a cat. And there were more cats besides.  
  
"For some reason, the cats get attached to one person once they arrive, unless the person is already in possession of a cat," Mars eyed Cleo. "I'm guessing this little one escaped the tunnels and came to you?"  
  
"No, I found her in the tunnels," Criss said. "Just below my fire grate. I didn't even know this place was here..."  
  
"No Upper World people know about this place until they come here," Bar shrugged. A cat jumped up, mewling at him. "Ah, here's my little one. This is Prince, he's my cat."  
  
"King is probably at my tent," Mars said. "Don't worry much, you. You'll get a cat, soon, too. Say, who are you guys, anyway?"  
  
The two introduced themselves and the little Cleo.  
  
Have you ever noticed that people remember things at the oddest times? It's the subconscious mind at work. Sometimes, if something nags at you for a while, you'll forget about it in your consciousness. However, the subconscious still works until it cracks the code.  
  
Criss' mind is no different.  
  
"Riku, your clothes! We left your clothes in my house!"  
  
"What? It's all right, they didn't matter much to—"  
  
"No, that's not it," Criss grabbed a fistful of the cloak she'd given him. "If YaYa and the commander find your clothes, they'll know that I helped you. You're in danger as long as you're with me."  
  
"Then we're both on the run," Riku shrugged.  
  
"No, you don't understand. You've got to get away from me. If they find you with me, you'll be bled for sure!"  
  
That unconscious stuff is actually true. One of my good friends did an experiment with it in high school. 


	5. Shu

Okay...er, I don't own KH?  
  
Chapter 5: Shu  
  
YaYa shivered. Cobwebs hung from the huge front doors of Shu's fortress, but that was as far as she could see. The darkness within was complete. Shu and Yan's fortresses, where they stayed at all times, were famous as the only buildings in Yan-Shu that lacked fireplaces.  
  
Not that Yan or Shu would need light or warmth.  
  
The commander remained straight and tall despite the cruelty that echoed off the walls like a valley between mountains. Near the throne room, where Shu remained always, a single, tiny flame was lit just for their benefit. Of course, that benefit would also mean utter terror to someone who was about to be devoured.  
  
Despite this, the commander stood tall.  
  
YaYa heard her own breathing and heartbeat, heard the click of her boots against the smooth black floor. The scent of blood was strong, almost overpowering. As she approached Shu's throne, however, her back straightened despite her fear. It was best not to show fear in Shu's presence.  
  
"Did I not ask you to arrest Criss Nallen?" Shu asked. In the light of the single candle, YaYa could see her eyes glisten yellow. If they turned white, it was best not to watch.  
  
"It seems she was tipped off before we arrived," the commander said swiftly. "The supposed 'wild goose chase' she sent us on last night, however, seems to have been not so. YaYa, the clothes."  
  
YaYa handed the commander the boy's clothes that she had found. Shu studied them with interest, took them and glared at the yellow fabric. Then, she smiled, a horrible, ugly, evil grin that could only mean one thing with Shu. Pleasure in another's downfall.  
  
"It seems we have a rebellion, yes," she said, throwing the yellow clothes upon her throne as she gained her footing. She descended the few steps, her own silver hair fanning despite the fact that there was no wind to carry it. If YaYa didn't know what this woman had done time and again, she would even say that Shu was beautiful.  
  
"Yes. I thought you should know," the commander said. Not once did she glance at Shu. YaYa thought that she was afraid of what she might see. "Criss Nallen and her cat gave us the slip. But I think we may yet find her. The rebels are gathering again."  
  
Shu's eyes turned white.  
  
Her mouth opened wide.  
  
The commander screamed.  
  
YaYa turned away, her eyes shut tight. She dared not close her ears, for fear Shu would see her and devour her, too. The commander's screams grew and pitched and pummeled. Blood spattered the stone floor, flew up and struck YaYa in the face. The commander screamed higher still, and then...  
  
Silence.  
  
"Hmm. Mistakes are intolerable, no matter the reasons." YaYa opened her eyes again and saw that Shu had sat down upon her throne once again. "Now, YaYa, how do you feel about a promotion? Find Criss Nallen and bring her to me."  
  
"Aye, ma'am," YaYa saluted crisply and marched quickly out of Shu's fortress. Once outside, where darkness was beginning to fall once again, she dissolved into tears. Her friend, the commander, was gone.  
  
And she had a heavy feeling that she would be next.  
  
Criss' words echoed in Riku's head. You've got to get away from me. If they find you with me, you'll be bled for sure! Criss stared at him, then looked away when she saw him notice it. What was she trying to do?  
  
"Listen," he said. "I'm not just going to leave you on your own. If we get caught, we'll get caught together. Got it?"  
  
"But..."  
  
"I thought you were stronger than that," he laughed. "But I guess I was wrong."  
  
Criss' face turned a lovely shade of pink. "Fine. We'll stick together, then."  
  
"Well, most likely you won't be found down here," Bar cut in. "Mars and I have been down here for two years, and he hasn't found us yet."  
  
"Then you don't know?" Criss blinked in surprise.  
  
"Oh, about Shu?" Mars said. "We know. We know everything that goes on in the Upper World—" He was cut off by a shout from below.  
  
"Bar! Mars! Come quick, we've got emergency news!"  
  
"Speaking of which..." Bar picked up his cat, Prince, and ran toward the large stone building in the center of the sea of tents.  
  
"C'mon, we can get you an area assignment and a tent at the Stone Temple," Mars said, smiling. "That's what we call that thing."  
  
"What is it? And how'd this place get here?" Riku asked.  
  
"No one knows. Most of us just stumbled down here through our fire grates within the past five years. When we discovered the Stone Temple, where all the cats seem to come from, we just stayed down here. Every time a new person shows up, there's a tent for him and an area assignment on this big screen. We don't have a clue how or why it works, only that it does. And somehow, we're safe from Yan." Mars shrugged.  
  
As they passed through the paths the tents seemed to create, people waved at Mars and welcomed the newcomers. Everyone smiled. The light overhead glowed bright as a fire, but as seamless as electricity, which Riku was quickly beginning to realize must not exist in this world. There didn't seem to be any technology at all.  
  
"Just five years, you say?" Riku asked. "When did Yan take over and start eating people?"  
  
"About two months before the first person came here," Mars explained. "You'll get to meet her, she's in charge of tent distribution. Her name's Molly. She says that the tunnels used to be full of water, and other accounts point out the same. But she was in trouble, and swam up the stream anyway. Most of us call her the Water Dragon because she can swim like no one else."  
  
The three reached the base of the Stone Temple and entered through an arched stone doorway. Inside, Bar and two other men were discussing whatever news had arrived.  
  
"The commander's been eaten," Bar said when he saw them. "YaYa has been placed at the top. Shu suspects a rebellion."  
  
"A rebellion?" Criss cocked her head. "Why?"  
  
"Your, er...delay tactics seemed to have backfired, miss," said one of the men. "They found this young man's yellow clothes and put two and two together."  
  
Criss gasped. Riku, however, smirked.  
  
"Well, then," said the other of the two men. "Why don't we give them a rebellion? We are twice the number of their army."  
  
"But his Children outnumber us in strength and people," Bar argued. "It would take twenty men to combat one of those things."  
  
"What about those still above ground?" Riku suggested. "Can't they help? And that army, their commander was just eaten. Won't they help?"  
  
The four Nekopolis men stared at this newcomer.  
  
They knew his story.  
  
Perhaps better than he did.  
  
"I think the kid's on to something there," Bar nodded. "You two, go on and get your tent and area. Then come back here. We've got a world to fight for."  
  
Yeah, I know, that last part was a little corny...But, hey, it sets up the remainder of the story. 


	6. Water Dragon

Despite all delays, I finished it ahead of schedule. Stayed up late a few nights ago and just finished giving it a read-through. So, as a special thank you to all of my reviewers, I will update this—the entire completed story.  
  
Why?  
  
A) I'm paranoid it'll vanish on me.  
  
B) Cause I love to see people reviewing a completed story—not just chapters.  
  
So, here we go.  
  
Chapter 6: Water Dragon  
  
Riku set up his tent in the little plot of stone that now supposedly belonged to him. According to Molly, more commonly known as the "Water Dragon", the computer simply printed out where he was supposed to be and a tent popped out of thin air. No one really understood why the Stone Temple did this.  
  
"Too bad it didn't just set up the tents for us," he muttered.  
  
"I agree," Criss said. She sighed, surveying the tents that stretched out in every direction. The underground cavern was at least a mile wide, and tents were everywhere. Riku followed her gaze, which led him right back to the small entrance they'd come through.  
  
"You worried?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah...what if they find us?"  
  
Riku didn't answer at first. "Come on. We're going to find them."  
  
Criss dragged her feet along the smooth stone passageway, sighing. Cleo followed close on her heels, which Riku was glad for. That little thing still scared him. He dodged a small grouping of cats, who seemed without owners, of yet, and finally reached the Stone Temple. Mars was waiting at the door.  
  
Without a word, Mars led them back into the room where Bar first announced his gruesome news of the commander. The other two men from before had vanished, replaced by the slightly batty Molly. Riku noticed, with faint relief, that Cleo had disappeared.  
  
Riku liked the one called the Water Dragon. She was missing a few eggs from her basket, but she seemed to know what she was talking about. In fact, Molly seemed to have this kind of knowledge that Riku could only associate with age and wisdom. Except for the fact that she was only six years older than he was.  
  
"The newcomer had a point," Bar said. "We can't defeat the army or Yan's Children, not on our own." He grinned. "That's why we're not gonna do it on our own."  
  
"Do you really think everybody's going to listen to you?" Criss interrupted. "A day ago, I wouldn't have listened to you."  
  
"Not everyone," Mars said. "But most will be willing to brave all rather than live in fear any longer. Six years is too long. We've got to fight back."  
  
Criss bit her lip, her brows knitted together. She doubted it, Riku could tell. But they had to try. Something came back to him just then, something Bar had said.  
  
"Wait...how did you guys know I was wearing yellow clothes? And that Criss tried to divert the army's attention by mentioning where I'd been?"  
  
Bar shifted in his seat. "We've got an intricate spy network. People working undercover in the army—listening through fire grates. The stuff that goes on inside Yan, Shu, and the Sunday Specials Building, we hear mostly second-hand. No fire grates to listen through because they're new buildings."  
  
"What? Say that again," Riku said. There was something there...  
  
"We can't listen in because there aren't any fire grates. 'Cause they're new. Why?"  
  
Riku pressed on. "Who built them?"  
  
"...How the hell should I know? Some dude who got eaten because he didn't make the bathroom big enough—"  
  
"My husband did," Molly said, gently cutting Bar off.  
  
Riku turned the Molly. "Do you still have the plans?"  
  
Bar and Mars' eyes grew wide. The plan was simple. Unique. "Why didn't we think of that?"  
  
"I do, but they are back in my house," Molly said. "Which, since I left, became the commander of the army's house. So, YaYa would live there now."  
  
Criss let out a derisive snort. "So we're supposed to sneak through YaYa's fire grate, steal a bunch of plans that probably were discovered and burned, and hope not to get eaten? Leave me out."  
  
In the back of his throat, Riku growled. Far, in the back of his mind, he felt something snap. He grabbed Criss by the shoulders, threw her down and plopped beside her on the cold stone floor.  
  
"You wanted to know why I'm scared of cats, now you're gonna hear it," he growled again. Criss whimpered under his stony stare and death grip that still held her arm pinned to the ground. She'd rather have braved YaYa than Riku at this point.  
  
At last, he let her go. Riku didn't begin his tale right away. The other three in the room stared at him, into his aqua eyes. He cast his gaze to the side, his mouth following in a deep sigh.  
  
"I lived on a world...you people would probably see as a utopia. We had a democracy—kids played outside under a bright sun, on a sandy beach, with crystal clear water for miles around. That's what bugged me the most, was that water. I wanted freedom, to travel to other worlds and see them. My friends and I were building a raft.  
  
"Me, Sora, and...and Kairi. Kairi was from another world, that's how I knew about them in the first place. I was looking for supplies when I found them—kittens. I went in to their little den. The mother came back before I left and ripped me up. I've been afraid of cats since." He paused for a second, then continued.  
  
"The night before we were to leave on the raft, a storm came in. A weird storm, with a glowing orb hanging in the sky. Tiny black monsters came onto the island, and a man's voice told me to not be afraid of the darkness. I forced myself to not be afraid. One of the kittens followed me into the darkness, causing me to jump away from Sora.  
  
"I didn't see him again, or the kitten. I ended up on a strange world called Hollow Bastion, and met a witch named Maleficent. She promised to help me find Kairi. I was coming to find her when I was knocked out. But there wasn't anyone on board my ship, so it's impossible that I'm even here..."  
  
"That's not true," Criss shook her head. "I saw him. A man landed that weird ship in the courtyard on Hollow Street. I saw his face. And that's no reason to be afraid of cats, Riku. She was just being a mother, protecting her babies. You probably didn't know that you're not supposed to approach kittens before they open their eyes."  
  
Riku blushed. "I guess not...But who was it that dropped me on this world?"  
  
Everyone shrugged.  
  
"The point I was trying to make, Criss, was that you need to take risks in order to get what you want. No risk, no reward," Riku smirked. "And the reward you get from all this is your freedom."  
  
One of the messengers from before rushed in. "Bar, we've got more news. Another kid's landed on Yan-Shu!"  
  
"Another kid?" Bar looked up at the messenger. "By the same guy who brought this one?"  
  
"Yeah, that's what we think."  
  
"That same creepy guy?" Criss stood up. "We've got to go get him!"  
  
The messenger nodded. "Follow me."  
  
Come on, tell me you can guess who the new kid is. 


	7. Another Kid

  
  
Chapter 7: Another Kid  
  
Water dripped and trickled in slow motion all around them as they raced the clock. Riku felt his leg muscles protest, but he only pushed them harder. Behind him and the messenger, Criss gasped for breath. She stumbled but didn't fall. They didn't stop. If they didn't get to the kid in time, the army would get him first.  
  
And he would probably be eaten, not knowing what his fate might have been.  
  
Fire grates flew by, each tunnel the same as the last, eight feet tall with a tiny stream of water down the center. If the messenger hadn't assured Riku that he knew where he was going...Riku felt he would be lost.  
  
"Here, this is Hollow Alley," the messenger stopped. He pointed up. It wasn't a fire grate, but a circular hole. No light seeped in from it. "It's a sewage drain, there's one in every street."  
  
Riku nodded. "We need to be quiet. We don't know if he's been caught..."  
  
"For his sake, I hope not," Criss said. She climbed up the ladder, listening intently to the ground above. Riku held his breath. She pushed the drain up and slid it away. "All clear. He's still here, too. Poor guy..."  
  
Riku saw her disappear above. She reappeared seconds later, a boy draped over her shoulders. As she descended the last few steps, the messenger and Riku took him from her. She ascended again and slid the grate back in place.  
  
However, Riku didn't hear it nor see it. He was too busy being shocked. "It's Sora! Sora! Wake up..."  
  
"He's knocked out, like you were," Criss jumped to the stones below. "Are you sure this is your friend?"  
  
"Yeah...it's him..."  
  
"You both have a thing for bright clothes, don't ya?" She picked at Sora's red pants, which had a nice tear on the right leg. Sora was a little worse for the wear than Riku would have hoped. It looked like he'd been in several battles, because scars crisscrossed his body. Some were still scabbing over.  
  
He had a fresh cut over his left eye and deep gouges in his arms. The short-sleeved white and black over-shirt Riku had given him long ago barely held to his left shoulder, the right being completely shredded. Anything Maleficent had told him about Sora evaporated. It didn't matter anymore. Sora was hurt and Riku was his friend. That was all that mattered.  
  
Riku checked Sora over to make sure that he hadn't any more wounds. Beside him, Criss used what little medical knowledge she had to make sure Sora was otherwise okay. Once both were satisfied with his health, Riku used his teeth to tear bits of the ruined shirt into makeshift bandages. They used the water that ran down the tunnel to clean the cuts, hoping that it was good enough.  
  
"He still hasn't come to," Criss said. "I thought you said he was strong?"  
  
"Strong enough," Riku shrugged. "He's alive, isn't he? Come on, let's get him to the Stone Temple. Maybe they've got the answer to—"  
  
"Kairi!" Sora shouted, sitting up suddenly, knocking Criss over into the water. "Riku! Donald, Goofy!"  
  
"Hey! Calm down, kid, jeez!" Criss squeezed the water from her cloak. "Riku's right here, dolt."  
  
"Riku?" Sora cocked his head, staring at him. "Are you...really...him?"  
  
"Yeah," he smiled. "Just dyed my hair and changed clothes, but it's me."  
  
Tears welled up in the other boy's eyes. Riku never had seen Sora cry before, never so easily. Before he knew it, his childhood friend had thrown his arms around him.  
  
"I thought I'd never see you again! He took you, then he took Kairi, then he took Donald and Goofy...and then he took me!"  
  
"Wait, who?" Riku looked at Criss, pondering. "Who took us?"  
  
"The Silver Shadow...that's what he told me. He's horrible, he said his dad was going to eat me! He said mom would eat Kairi, or...or..." Sora shuddered. Suddenly, Riku knew who had caused all this.  
  
"Yan," Criss answered his mind. "One of his Children."  
  
"There's still a chance he hasn't eaten your friends yet," Riku said. "Or Kairi. Criss, let's get back to the Stone Temple. We've got to step up our plans."  
  
Come on, who guessed it? 


	8. True Shu

  
  
Chapter 8: True Shu  
  
Seated upon her throne, with only the single silver candle lit, most would assume that Shu could see nothing. On the contrary, Shu saw everything. She knew everything. Yan had married her for her beauty, but also her intelligence. Shu knew that if the Shikon came together under Naohi, Yan's Children would fall to the level equal to their own offspring, the Heartless.  
  
Unlike the Heartless, Yan's Children had hearts. Souls tainted by the single lack of one of the Shikon, the Sakimi-tama. Also known as the "love soul", Yan could not give this one thing, a father's love, to his Children.  
  
Which was why their offspring were Heartless.  
  
They were, by definition, Magatsuhi, or "twisted spirits".  
  
The Heartless symbol is comprised of four distinct "quadrants", each the container for the separate soul that comprised the heart. The smallest of those is love, sickened by its lack in the Children's lives.  
  
There were seven princesses of heart that could open the door to Kingdom Hearts. However, there were also two kings and two queens of soul, known as the Shikon, or "Four Souls". When she'd explained this to Yan, he'd merely passed it off as an improbability. He was worried about it enough to put her in charge of keeping the Shikon apart, though.  
  
Shu knew that there was one world on which a Shikon-no-Tama, a Jewel of Four Souls, existed. If she could come across the jewel, take it as her own, she would be more powerful even than Yan. However, Shu did not crave power. She craved the love of her husband, something he could never give.  
  
On this world, named for her husband and herself, she was utterly alone. Her only use was to send out the army and keep the Shikon from Yan. Well, if that was her only purpose, she would have none of it. She'd rather die as Yan's meal than continue devouring the flesh of other women.  
  
So instead of keeping away the Shikon, she gathered them. Deep in the bowels of the world, the Children grew restless. They wanted to attack. She held them at bay, sent YaYa on a wild goose chase for Criss Nallen, who she knew was protected by Riku and her own followers. Soon, she would gather her forces.  
  
In the corner of the room, a redheaded girl stirred quietly. Shu pulled her silver hair out of her eyes to watch the girl sit up and look into the darkness. The girl would have been plucked off the street had the army found her. She wore white and purple, colors that Yan immediately would have said were "illegal". Shu tired of his excuses to devour more of his own people and make her eat them, too.  
  
"Good day," she said, standing from her throne again. "Are you all right? I hope they did not harm you."  
  
"Not too terribly, but...where am I?" she glanced around the darkened room.  
  
"On the world of Yan-Shu. I will explain things to you, but if someone comes in, you must hide away behind my throne. Understand?"  
  
"Yes...I suppose."  
  
"My name is Shu. I am queen of this world, but only out of necessity. You are Kairi, am I correct?"  
  
"That's my name, yes."  
  
Who saw dat one coming? 


	9. Maps So uncreative today, are I not

Chapter 9: Maps  
  
In the Stone Temple, Bar and Mars tended to Sora, using Riku's cloak to cradle his head. The messenger, in Riku and Criss' absence of mind, had left to inform them of the plan. According to another spy, Goofy and Donald, Sora's friends, had been let off easy. They were now in the Sunday Special's building.  
  
Riku hadn't the heart to tell Sora what the place was.  
  
"What about Kairi?" Sora winced. Bar was using some kind of herb as an antiseptic, but it looked like it stung worse than alcohol.  
  
"She's safe," Mars said. "She's with Shu."  
  
"Being with Shu isn't exactly safe," Criss snorted.  
  
Bar and Mars exchanged a look. Riku barely caught it before they broke it. What was that look about? At the moment, however, he was felt more nauseous than worried. If Mars said she was safe, she was safe. Somehow, he trusted the man.  
  
"Listen, if we're going to attack any of these places, we need to get those plans," Riku said. "So are we going to get them or not?"  
  
"No thanks, leave me here," Criss said firmly. "Plans or no plans, I'm not breaking in to YaYa's house."  
  
Riku shrugged. "Fine, stay here. Who's going to lead me to the house?"  
  
Bar and Mars silently continued to clean Sora's cuts. In the corner, Criss had her back to him. Riku sighed. "I don't exactly know these tunnels—"  
  
"No worries, no worries, I'm coming," Molly burst into the room. "Now, can you swim, young man? The tunnel we're headed for is one of the last flooded ones."  
  
Riku chuckled. "I lived on the beach all my life. Of course I know how to swim."  
  
"That cements it for me," Criss smiled nervously over her shoulder. "I don't know how to swim."  
  
As Riku and Molly turned to leave, she stopped him short. "Okay, fine, I lied, I can swim, all right? I'm going, I'm going, just no more macho stuff."  
  
It felt like a million years had passed when they finally reached the tunnel Molly said would lead to her old fire grate. They were already waist-deep in the freezing water. Criss felt her teeth chattering.  
  
"I'll swim to the ladder to show you where it is," Molly said. "We need to dry off before we go up, at least enough that we won't drip. Her fire's on, so we'll dry in no time."  
  
She dove under the water. In less than a few seconds, she was a quarter mile away, waving from a ladder. No wonder her name was the "Water Dragon".  
  
"That's gonna take us a bit longer," Riku said. "We might as well get started."  
  
"Started, right," Criss sighed. "I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."  
  
"You thought it was bad before I even thought of it." Riku leapt into the water. Criss followed him, her cloak weighing her down.  
  
"You were smart, you left your cloak behind," Criss said. She spotted another fire grate ladder ahead. As Riku continued on, she dangled the cloak over the highest ladder rung.  
  
"Couldn't you just use your magic to make it waterproof?" Riku asked.  
  
Criss slapped her own forehead between strokes.  
  
The two fell silent, focusing on Molly. At last, they took hold of the ladder. Riku sat on the second highest rung, Criss just beneath him. The fire above burned bright, warming their chilled bodies.  
  
They could hear YaYa.  
  
She was home.  
  
"I don't see what is so important about that Criss Nallen girl," she was saying. "All Shu seems to want is that Criss Nallen. Isn't she getting hungry? She hasn't eaten anyone else since...since..."  
  
"I know it's hard to remember the commander, YaYa, but this is business." Most likely it was her new subordinate. "Are you sure you don't know where Criss Nallen is? Or that boy she was with?"  
  
"No, I don't know anything more than you do."  
  
"Fine. Come along, your rest is over for today."  
  
Riku heard the footsteps, and finally, the front door. He patted his feet, finding them dry. Molly looked up and smiled.  
  
"Okay, they're gone now. Listen, there are two doors, a front and a back. Criss and I will keep lookout in case anyone comes by. I will instruct you to where the plans are hidden."  
  
Riku nodded. one of you douse the fire?"  
  
Instantly, the flames went out. Riku pushed on the grill and rose into the room. It wasn't as simple as Criss' had been, but it definitely wasn't much better. The same style of table and chairs sat in the middle, with a thick quilt on the floor in the corner. Riku noticed one difference.  
  
Wooden planks covered the dirt of the ground beneath his feet. He pulled Criss and Molly into the room and waited for instructions.  
  
"All right," Molly said. "Go over to the table. On the underside should be a tiny button. Push it."  
  
"Could you relight—" The fire flared up again. "Thanks."  
  
Riku looked all over the table until he finally found the tiny button. If he wasn't looking for it, he never would have found it. He pressed it and told Molly he'd done so.  
  
"Okay, now go to where the quilt is. A board of the floor should be raised. Push it down."  
  
This one he found easier, and pressed back into place. A grating noise filled the room. When Riku turned back toward the center again, he saw that a board near the table had opened. Inside were several rolled-up sheets of paper.  
  
"Those are the plans, all right," Molly smiled. "Criss, water-proof them and let's get out of here."  
  
Molly descended back into the tunnel, and Riku followed her close behind. Criss carried the sheets of paper. Together, they swam back to the Stone Temple. Criss saw her cloak, but shrugged. It wasn't like she needed it or anything.  
  
YaYa came back to her house, having forgotten something. She could have sworn she'd left the fireplace going. When she went to investigate, she found the grate wide open. Down into the tunnel below, she dropped.  
  
And on another ladder further down the line, she saw Criss Nallen's trademark black cloak.  
  
Uh huh. YaYa knows... 


	10. Maurauding Days forgive the HP ref

Just so's ya know, I don't own Harry Potter, either.  
  
Chapter 10: Marauding Days  
  
Despite her absolute terror of Shu's fortress, YaYa burst through the door. Ahead of her, she saw the faint single candle of Shu's throne. If anything, it made her more determined than ever to inform her of the possible rebel's location.  
  
"Shu, ma'am, I think I've found the location of the rebel base," YaYa kneeled quickly, holding out Criss' soaking cloak. "Criss Nallen broke into my home, and left the fire grate open. I found this on a ladder in an underground tunnel. I investigated and I believe I am correct in saying that the tunnels go under all the buildings in Yan-Shu."  
  
"You are correct, YaYa," Shu said, smiling. "Unfortunately, you now know too much. Either pledge your allegiance to me, or face my wrath."  
  
YaYa fell over. "Wh-What?"  
  
"Don't you get it? I'm taking over," Shu said, grinning. "I will overthrow Yan. This world will become one of light."  
  
"L-light?" YaYa was surprised. This, from a woman who'd eaten women for months? But she did not want to become a meal. "Of course I pledge my allegiance to you."  
  
Shu nodded curtly. "Good. Here is a map of the tunnels. Follow them to the base and tell my followers that the Shikon must be reunited. Kairi, are you ready to go?"  
  
Out from behind the throne came a young girl in white and purple clothes with red hair. YaYa had never seen such a girl before. She radiated, like the sun YaYa'd never seen before. Shu took the black cloak from her and, with a flap like wings, it was dry. She wrapped the cloak around the girl, who pulled it close.  
  
"Go, quickly, before anyone sees you."  
  
And they went.  
  
Riku, Bar, and Criss put their heads together within the planning room of the Stone Temple. Outside, cats and people walked down the tent-made boulevards of the underground city. On the other side of the room, Molly tended to Sora. As she did so, she continued to speak, pulling her red hair from her eyes. For an instant, she looked like an twenty-one year old Kairi.  
  
"My husband hid those plans. He told me to never look at them unless it was absolutely necessary. Even I don't know what they are."  
  
On top of a stone table, Riku unrolled the plans. There were several sheets, piled neatly. The first sheet had several long black lines and squares. Criss recognized it.  
  
"It's a map of the city. All the buildings, see, here's my house, and there's YaYa's, and Shu's fortress..." she pointed out several more landmarks that Riku didn't recognize. Among them included Hollow Street, the place where Riku and Sora had both been found.  
  
"Hey, look at this," Bar said. "If you trace Hollow Street up, you come to Shu's fortress. Directly left of that is YaYa's house. Directly south, creating a perfect square, is Criss' house."  
  
"That's weird..." Criss said. No one spoke for a minute. "Let's look at the next page..."  
  
Riku shuffled the papers around. "It's the underground tunnels! And all the fire grates and other entrances, it looks like. You guys were right; Shu, Yan, and the Sunday Special's building aren't even on here."  
  
Again, he shuffled the papers. This one was a blueprint of Yan's fortress, showing exactly the location of Yan's throne, his personal quarters, and the thousands of other rooms for his servants, dining room, ballrooms, game rooms. It was the definition of extravagance.  
  
"Despite all that, he stays in his throne room," Molly said. "Can you imagine? All those places for him to be, and he stays on his fat butt in one dinky, dark little room."  
  
The next sheet was of the Sunday Special's building. Cells for individuals, cells for the, er...business of the place, and cells for the children to be devoured on Sunday. There was also a large room, full of beds. The "Midwife Chamber" is all the map gave away. Riku nearly gagged at the thoughts that came to mind at the title.  
  
"Hey, look at this..." Criss pointed to a tiny dot, which Riku had mistaken as an ink blot on one of the beds. Then, he noticed that the blot was moving. When Criss' finger touched the spot, words appeared on the map. "'Maggie Pie'. That was one of the women who was taken to the building!"  
  
Several more dots appeared around the dot. Several moments went by, and then a new dot appeared on the map. Riku gulped nervously, then pressed the new dot. It read "Baby Pie—Unnamed."  
  
"Oh, God," Criss collapsed to the ground, her knees quaking. Riku grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself. "The plans show the people in the buildings!"  
  
She used the table to right herself again and grabbed the streets map. More dots. All moving along. The one of Yan's fortress held a single dot, that, when pressed, read "Yan".  
  
"Look at this," Riku held the tunnel map up grimly. Two dots were headed through the tunnels for them. When Criss pressed one, it read "YaYa". She supposed the other person to be her new subordinate.  
  
"We must have left the grate open or something," Criss said, sitting on the table to keep from collapsing to the floor again. "YaYa's coming here."  
  
Bar calmly restacked the plans behind her. "I wouldn't worry. Shu said she was sending someone down. I suppose YaYa is sworn to our side, now."  
  
"Just whose side are you on, anyway?!" Criss jumped up and backed right into Riku. He took hold of her shoulders.  
  
"Shu's," Bar said. "We're the rebels."  
  
"But—"  
  
Bar sighed. "You still don't understand, I see."  
  
Riku had already crossed the room. He picked up Bar by his shirt and threw him against the wall. "What I understand is that you betrayed us!" He drew back his fist.  
  
"No!" Molly jumped up again. "Listen, you've got it all wrong, you."  
  
Criss grasped Riku's broad shoulders and pulled his fist back. "Riku, maybe we'd better hear them out. It couldn't hurt, she's still more than an hour away."  
  
Riku's MAD... 


	11. Truth Comes Out

Chapter 11: Truth Comes Out  
  
Criss didn't know what had come over her. The two underground people, Bar and Molly, were so trusting. They'd seemed like good people who simply were hiding from Yan and Shu. What did they mean, they were on Shu's side? She wanted to hear their explanation. If it was bad, Riku could pound them both into oblivion.  
  
Bar wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, indignant. "You still don't understand. Shu has been against Yan from the start!"  
  
"Shu is Yan's wife, how could they have been opposed from the beginning?" Riku rolled his eyes.  
  
Bar repeated the motion. "You don't get it, do you? Shu didn't marry Yan because of love—Yan can't love! It's impossible for him to love anyone or thing. Shu married out of necessity, so that we could hide away until she had gathered the Shikon."  
  
"What the hell is a Shikon?"  
  
"Not what. Who," Molly said. Sora, who'd been quiet the entire time, stared between his old friend and the newcomers. He still had very little clue as to what was going on, Criss knew. "The Shikon are the two queens and two kings of Kingdom Hearts. They're the only ones who can defeat the Father of the Heartless. Shu is the only one who knows who they are, and enlisted us to find and protect them.  
  
"At first, it was just me. Then more people came, and we started Nekopolis."  
  
"Why cats?" Riku asked.  
  
"Cats are the only creatures that Yan loves," Bar answered. "He loves them so much that he's neglected every other aspect of love. Soon, love wasn't love to him any more. Obsession, then beyond. No one knows how to term it now. He is so lost in his obsession with cats that he is blind to anyone who holds one in their arms.  
  
"That's why Nekopolis has remained hidden all these years. He can't see us because we're surrounded by cats. Each of us bonds with a cat, because that cat protects us from the Abyss that lies in the depths of the Stone Temple."  
  
"What's below the Stone Temple?" Criss whispered.  
  
"Yan's Children."  
  
YaYa had never seen such a precious sight. The young redhead, reunited with who YaYa supposed was her boyfriend, had instantly fell upon him. He was a little red-clothed man, only fourteen or so. The two made the cutest little couple. She didn't know exactly what was going on, or where she was, but this was clear. There was love in this room.  
  
Simple and clean.  
  
With one glance at the raven-haired man in hand-me-down black clothes told YaYa that this love was not so simple. His aqua eyes shimmered in pain, in turmoil. In an instant, she knew. This was no ordinary love.  
  
A triangle of the past had come up from the depths. Before her eyes, blue light danced round the raven-haired boy's head. The black lifted, like a dawn, revealing brilliant silver beneath. The silver-haired boy who Criss Nallen had spoken of. So that would mean...indeed. There was Criss, her calico patch hair brilliant against her stone surroundings.  
  
"You lifted the spell!" Criss gaped at him. "Riku, your hair! It's silver again!"  
  
He smirked, shrugging at her. "If only I had my yellow clothes back, eh?"  
  
"No. You look good in black." At this, the young Riku blushed. YaYa smiled at their word play. It was obvious that whatever feelings he might have for Kairi, he held Criss well within his heart.  
  
"Good to see that you're doing well, Criss Nallen," YaYa said. "Gave the commander and I the slip simple enough."  
  
Criss turned to YaYa, all traces of humor gone. "YaYa...I am so, so sorry about the commander. I know that you two were..." She trailed off.  
  
"No need for apologies. Now, Shu said that the other queen and the two kings were down here, sir Bar. Where are they?"  
  
Instead, a sort of batty lady answered her question. "Well, if that's not a stupid question, I don't know what is. They're staring you right down the kisser, lady!"  
  
YaYa blinked. There were very few people in the room. Bar, the batty lady, Kairi, her little boyfriend, Criss Nallen, and Riku. Two and two plopped themselves right in the middle of her jelly-filled donut. What a mess.  
  
"You mean to tell me that Criss Nallen and Kairi are the queens and Riku and this kid here are the kings?! What da heck?! They're just kids!"  
  
Bar smiled. "Yeah, well. Legends persist that the four would be between fourteen and fifteen years of age."  
  
YaYa sighed. "Great. This world isn't enough with a man-eating ruler, his Children, a jail where people sha-boink for the leader's Sunday dinner, and a giant underground city full of cats. No, we just have to throw in four teenagers who are supposedly supposed to beat said leader." Notice the sarcasm. Thank you.  
  
Crickets added their music to the silence in order to resuscitate whatever background music the readers might have been playing in their heads. You may now resume the music.  
  
"Wait a minute," Kairi's boyfriend said, wincing all the way to his feet. "We're some kind of royalty?"  
  
"You are the Shikon," said the batty lady. "Thanks for coming down, YaYa. I'm Molly, the main shaman from the Before. You've met Kairi and Criss, but this is Sora, lovely gentleman that is he, and Riku, not so much, but you get used to him."  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Just joking, kid."  
  
"W-Wait," Criss said. "Main shaman? What's that all about?"  
  
"Well..." Molly smiled at YaYa. "The two of you share one very precious thing. The blood of the Ages, from long ago. Only thing you might have noticed, YaYa, is that you don't sleep very well.  
  
"But the blood of the Ages is a dormant magic, made alive by the presence of two things. One is the truest, deepest love. The other is danger. Danger, mates, you heard me right. That alone will awaken the depths of the mage's soul within you. You are, did you not know, cousins?"  
  
"Surprises galore today," YaYa muttered.  
  
"You said it," Criss said.  
  
"Okay, okay," Riku interrupted them. "From what Bar told us, the Shikon are powerful enough to defeat Yan. So why aren't we storming his fortress by now?"  
  
Molly bopped him on the head. "Patience, impertinent one. It isn't enough for you to be together. You must become a 'Naohi' or a 'true soul'. Become of one mind, of one body. Discover the ways of the Ages, you must. YaYa will be able to direct you once you've found your body."  
  
"So, we've got to find a BODY now?" Criss huffed. "What's next? The attack of the giant pink chickunny?"  
  
"Chickens and bunnies do not crossbreed, nor are they pink," Molly sniffed. "And yes. That is your final task. To find your body. You are one heart, after all. Shouldn't be a trouble."  
  
Body. Right. 


	12. Body of Nekopolis

Chapter 12: Body of Nekopolis  
  
Feet sloshed through ankle-deep water once more. According to Bar and Molly, the "body" that the newly united Shikon needed to find was as close to the darkness as one could come. Without being consumed by it, that is. Two pairs of black shoes, one pair of white and purple shoes, and one pair of yellow shoes squished in varying degrees of pitch and noise.  
  
Loudest of all was Criss. "Find a body, yeah, sure, why not? Close to the darkness, cool! Fight Yan, awesome. So why is it that I don't feel like celebrating?!"  
  
Just behind her, Kairi and Sora shared a look. Riku sighed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "If we want to save the world, we've just got to do it, Criss."  
  
"Save the world? Save the world, he says. Well, what happens if I don't want to save the world? Huh? I'm my own person, I'm not dictated by fatalism."  
  
"You don't really mean that, do you?" Sora looked at her. "I mean, you really don't want to save all those people back there? You don't want to see your home the way it was before Yan and the Children?"  
  
"Sora's right, Criss," Riku said. "You said yourself. You'd rather be dead that live in a world of fear. You said that 'Yan-Shu once was famous throughout the worlds as a place where you only had to imagine something and it would come true'. Well, here's your chance. Imagine Yan gone; the Children, gone; the Heartless, gone. Imagine a world where kids play in safety in the dark of the streets of this world. We're that dream's only hope."  
  
Criss smiled. "You really do care about this place, don't you? You're not even from here, either...Okay. We'll find this body and beat the Father of the Heartless once and for all. For the dream."  
  
The four of them nodded together in silent agreement. "For the dream."  
  
Water rushed by in the tunnel below, quick as an adder's strike and just as deadly. They were swimming in the last tunnel before the door to the bowels of the Stone Temple. Unfortunately, they were unable to reach it because of the rapids of the tunnel below.  
  
What was causing it, not a one of the four could discern.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Criss moaned. She grabbed the last of the ladder rungs and began banging her head against the stone wall of the tunnel. It hurt, but what was hurt but weakness leaving the body?  
  
"We're going to think and stop panicking," Riku pulled her away from the ladder. "Cut that out, you'll give yourself a headache."  
  
"No, I'm beyond headache range, I'm thinking more along the lines of mines going off in my skull." Criss thought for a moment. "Nah, tarts, I take that back. Like bombs. Big bombs that break the strong force—"  
  
"Then stop beating yourself up, lass, because help has arrived!" In less that three seconds, Criss glanced up to see Molly the Water Dragon smiling at her. "I'll get ya to that body, then you kids are on your own."  
  
Molly wrapped her arms around Kairi's waist, waited for her to take a breath, then suddenly reappeared empty-handed. She continued this process until finally, she took Riku and placed him on dry ground. The silver-haired boy glanced round.  
  
The chamber was simple, the tunnel beneath them, still in turmoil, and a single black door on the other side. In the center, four giant, multifaceted jewel pillars stood tall and proud. A fifth, smaller pillar of stone stood in the center, encaging a small lever.  
  
Then, Riku looked up.  
  
The pillars weren't pillars at all, but legs of a creature much larger than the chamber suggested. A body the same colors—red, blue, green, and yellow—as the crystallized feet. Almost instantly, Riku knew what it was.  
  
A giant cat.  
  
"Speaking of cats," Criss said, wringing her calico hair of excess water. "I haven't seen Cleopatra since we left the campsite. Have you, Riku?"  
  
"Nope. Oh, well, we'll find her later, right? Let's get up into this thing. Thanks for your help, Molly—"  
  
But Molly was gone. Somehow, Cleo had swum the might current and was currently purging her fur of water. Criss knelt down and picked up the tiny calico, hugging her gently. Despite himself, Riku smiled. The two were so good for each other.  
  
"I'm thinking that stone thingie in the middle is what we need, tarts," Criss said, helping Cleo wring some water from her coat. She led the way to the stone platform and climbed into the little cage. There was barely enough room for two of them to fit in. Riku squeezed into the cage and pulled the lever.  
  
The ground rumbled beneath as the creaking old cage tottered up, up, up into the belly of the jewel cat. Somewhere inside his head, something told him that he was doing the right thing. He hadn't felt this right since he, Sora, and Kairi had agreed to build the raft. Or had he felt the same sort of right when he was first rescued by Criss? He couldn't tell himself.  
  
And that frightened him.  
  
Riku and Criss piled off the cage into the faint multicolored glow, letting the cage descend to retrieve Sora and Kairi on the ground below. Once all four were within the giant cat, the pale glow brightened into white.  
  
The white light revealed that although the outside appeared transparent, the rest was opaque. Riku, Sora, Kairi, and Criss, who held Cleo, were inside an enormous white room. In the center was a heart etched into the floor. Four comfortable-looking chairs sat around each little "quadrant" of the heart, equal in parts.  
  
Cleo leapt from Criss' arms and sprinted for the four chairs. The Shikon chased after the little calico, who braced itself against the floor and spun to a halt facing them. She let her tail flick from side to side as they joined her there.  
  
"Cleo, what's gotten into—" Criss reached down to pick her up, but was halted by the fact that Cleopatra the calico was no longer there. Tiny black shoes had all but devoured the tiny cat. Criss jumped backwards. In Cleo's place was Molly, the Water Dragon.  
  
"What the—what happened to my cat?!"  
  
Molly sighed, merely shaking her head in a wise way that made Criss want to bite her tongue. In an instant, she almost did.  
  
The Water Dragon transformed before them once again, in her true form. Her skin was soft as Cleo's fur, silver as Riku's hair. The wings that spread from her back were leathery and tough, the same color as Kairi's red hair. Behind her, her tail continued to swish, and the pointy cat's ears atop her head seemed a tad out of place as they continued to twitch with every sound.  
  
"You always were so naïve, Criss," she said. "Cleo was merely a guise, which I took to protect you from Yan and show you the way here. And now, you are finally here, inside the body that you are a quarter a heart of. Lady Arami-Tama, your seat."  
  
The Water Dragon wrapped her red wings about her, gently pressing her into the blue quarter of the heart.  
  
"And Lady Nigimi-Tama, yours." Kairi was guided in the same fashion to the yellow quarter of the heart.  
  
"Lord Kushimi-Tama." Sora was guided into the green seat, next to Kairi.  
  
"And Lord Sakimi-Tama." Riku sat in the red seat, next to Criss. "You four souls, the Shikon, make up the heart of the true world of Nekopolis, the world now known as Yan-Shu. A simple mistake in the process, with much tampering from Yan, of course, made it seem as though half the Shikon was made up of Yan and Shu. Shu, of course, knew better than that.  
  
"The Shikon, according to Shinto philosophy, was made up of four souls. The Arami-Tama, Nigimi-Tama, Kushimi-Tama, and Sakimi-Tama, which, in rough translation, means Valor, Harmony, Miracles, and Love. Yes, Riku, I am sure that we are correct. Together, under one mind, one influence, one body, you must become a Naohi, or True Spirit, to defeat Yan once and for all.  
  
"Should this fail, and you prove to be a Magatsuhi, a Twisted Spirit, the worlds will crumble and fall under the rule of each of Yan's Children. The cats that guard the original two-hundred will not stay here, knowing that their own heart, the Shikon, has failed. They will flee, and with it will go the last line of defense in Nekopolis."  
  
"So, no pressure, right?" Criss joked feebly.  
  



	13. Surprising Defeat

The "battle" reminds me of Joshua's Jericho, if that means anything to ya'll.

Chapter 13: Surprising Defeat

"In order to walk, you must put your heads together and know which foot to move, where to move it—you four are the brains of this body. But your own minds must know exactly what they want at the same point for the cat to respond. I'm sorry that I can't be of more assistance, but I've got to go help the ground cause."

The Water Dragon vanished once again. Molly walked to the cage and descended to the floor. She winked up at the four teenagers and dove into the churning water below.

"We're alone inside a giant cat, underground, and it doesn't look like we're getting out any time soon," Criss mumbled. "What'll we do?"

"The only thing we can do," Riku shrugged. "Walk."

"How're we supposed to get this thing to walk?"

"Like the Water Dragon said," Kairi smiled. "Our minds have to agree."

"So, if we all want to cat's right paw to move forward..." Sora said. The crystal cat shook, but the chairs in the middle only swayed a little as the giant cat's right paw took a step. "I guess that's it."

"If we all just thought 'walk forward', do you think it would listen to that?" Criss asked. Instantly, the cat began to walk of its own accord, without stopping. "I guess ambiguity isn't much of a problem."

"I wonder if we could just get out of the tunnels?" Sora asked. "It's too big to just walk through them."

"You forget," Riku smirked. "We live on a world where anything is possible. Think 'get to the surface'."

The cat shrank to about seven feet tall, small enough to get through the tunnels, but big enough to allow them breathing room. Although Criss stopped thinking about the surface, the cat continued to the rushing water.

"I guess it continues following a command till we give it another," Sora shrugged. "What do you think this cat is going to be able to do? And why us? Riku, Kairi, and me aren't even from this world."

"I think it was always you, Sora," Riku said. Finally, he'd pieced together the puzzles, and it had clicked on a light inside his head. "Because you're the Keyblade Master and Kairi is the Princess of Hollow Bastion. Criss is a mage of the Ages, the strongest, according to Molly."

He stood from his red seat, watching the outside from the eyes of the cat. They ran along the tunnels, ladders and stones flashing by. Criss stood, too, to stand beside him. Sora and Kairi joined them at the other eye, but Criss didn't notice. To her, Riku looked torn, like something did seem right.

"I didn't...I didn't know what it was that I had that made me the Sakimi-Tama, the Soul of Love. Then I realized...I had things in common with the Father of the Heartless."

Criss gave a double take, yelping. "What?!"

"By the way you said that silver was the color of royalty, I figured out that Yan has silver hair, just like me. His eyes are aqua, like mine, or so I think. He was willing to do whatever it took to get what he wanted." He sighed, glancing at Kairi, quickly. Criss almost didn't catch it. "I was willing to give myself to the darkness to get off that wretched island. And...the one thing I loved blinded me from everything else.

"Until...I came here. Something about this place broke me from my own spell. I guess its because I was stronger than Yan, able to love something else, that I'm the Sakimi-Tama."

"I guess...that makes sense," Criss said. "It makes perfect sense. Of course, we won't know until we actually meet him."

"You mean you've never seen Yan before?" Riku was surprised.

"Nope. He stays in his fortress all the time."

At last, the cat came to a halt just outside of the tunnel. The Shikon surveyed the land before them. Miles of farm led straight into the streets of Yan-Shu. Whatever crops might have been there were undeterminable. Because, about a mile to the left and a mile to the right and three straight ahead, people stood in the fields. Criss gaped at them, eyes wide as dinner platters and mouth dropped.

"Everyone on Yan-Shu must be here!" she gasped.

At the head of the crowd stood YaYa, Molly, Bar, Mars, and the messengers from Nekopolis. Standing between Mars and Bar, her arms draped casually over their shoulders, was the lovely Shu. YaYa's army stood in arms, their chests crisscrossed with ammunition. The Nekopolitans carried a haggard stockpile of weapons and armor that ranged from as simple as a slingshot and stones to as complex as beaded armor, hand-held automatic elephant rifles, and a thousand other means of destruction.

And farther back were the normal townspeople, armed with whatever weapons they could find. It was a ragged group, huge in number, small in tactical talent. But they were the only hope of saving their world.

"I see you found your way out, Shikon!" Shu shouted up at them. "We are ready for your commands!"

However, on the opposite end of the fields, where the cat had joined the leaders of the rebellion, an army of two hundred and one marched seamlessly forward. The black Children were each different, each uglier than the last. Some had seven eyes on stalks that all swung around of their own accord, and some had teeth that looked like tyrannosaur jaws, while still more stood on feet like needles.

At the head of this crowd...was Riku.

Except Riku was right next to Criss.

Which was completely impossible.

Yet there he was, in garb similar to Yan's Children. A black heart struck through, with four chambers, the red sickliest of all, patched on his chest. Criss glanced at Riku, then down at the man who stood below.

"Yan!" Shu called over the crowd. "You're going down. This is our last stand! The last stand of Nekopolis!"

"This is my world, Shu," said Yan below. In the instant that she heard his voice, she knew this wasn't Riku. "If you want to take it from me and my Children, you must kill me—a cat!"

The crowd fell silent. Yan's entire visage had changed so suddenly that it stunned even his Children.

"A cat, a cat! Oh, how precious! Come here, kitty. Please?"

It was then that Criss realized that he was talking about them.

"That's why it was a cat," she said. "He can't help but love them."

"Then let's go to him," Riku said. He took his seat, the others following quickly. "There can't be two people in the same world with my face. Especially not one as evil as he is."

The cat lurched forward. Just as they were about to reach Yan, Criss noticed a movement out of the corner of the cat's eyes. She ordered the cat to stop, and it did. Riku looked around the interior.

"What happened?"

"I stopped it. Something's wrong with the Children. Look."

The four leapt from their seats for a closer look. The Children looked up at the cat, then down at their Father as one. They seemed almost to talk to one another. A buzzing sound, like a hive full of angry bees or a dozen chainsaws going off all at once, filled the air.

Then, to the shock of all who stood present, the Children turned on their Father.

Two hundred Children attacked Yan, all at once. Criss winced as the silver was buried beneath darkness. When the Children stopped moving, Criss caught a glimpse of a lock of silver hair.

She blinked.

When she opened her eyes again, they were gone. Just like that. Gone. No Yan. No Children. Nothing but the blank farmscape before her. Riku tugged on her shirt. She turned to him, but he was looking straight up. Following his gaze, she saw something she hadn't seen for five long, long years.

A star.


	14. Epilogue

Chapter 14: Epilogue

"We didn't do anything but stand there!" Riku protested. Shu was sitting inside the now-lit Yan's fortress, holding a saber. She wanted to knight the Shikon as ladies and lords of the court.

"You were fated, from the beginning, to do exactly as you did," Molly said, smiling happily in her human. "That was all. I tried to tell them, of course, but...you know how people are."

"The four of you placed Nekopolis back on its own track, allowed light to enter here again, and did it without picking up a single weapon," Shu said. "That is good enough for me. Should the three of you wish it, you may stay here and be members of my parliament. From now on, I am but a figurehead. I wasn't meant to rule."

"That's all right," Sora said. "Kairi, Goofy, Donald, and I are travelers. We want to go to other worlds. And, of course, find King Mickey. Riku, coming?"

"No, I'm good," Riku smiled. "You guys go on by yourself. That Gummi Ship will be full, anyway. I've got one of my own."

"Okay. See you!"

"Yeah. See you later."

Criss smiled, too. "What, are you all other-world-ed out, Riku?"

"No...I just want to get to know this world a little more. Help rebuild it."

Criss nodded. She had somehow found her black cloak again, though it was a little worse for the wear. Riku was once again in his trademark yellow clothes, thanks to YaYa. The young commander was also now a member of Nekopolitan parliament.

"You are free to stay with me. I've had a few changes done to my house since you stayed there last."

"I think I will. Thanks." The duo walked out of the fortress and down the streets to Criss' new home, a two-story home that had two bedrooms added in.

The underground dwellers of yesterday had found an abandoned plain north of the original city and were building there. Although the old city was still where most preferred to live, some had joined them, leaving room for building new homes. The new Nekopolis was still covered in cats, as the old had been. People used the ancient magic of the Ages more and more around the city, which was as of yet unnamed. The old name, before it had been Yan-Shu, had long ago been forgotten.

In the field where the "battle" had taken place, the giant cat, now its full size again, stood in ceremony and remembrance of what had been. The sun rose high in the sky, where it hadn't been for five long years. People basked in the warmth and light, letting their pale skin grow dark again.

"So, what'll you do?" Criss asked as they entered the house. "I mean, you're no farmer."

"I was thinking...of becoming an anthropologist," Riku said. "Studying and recording the cultures and customs of worlds. Starting with Nekopolis, of course."

"When you're through here, where will you head?"

"I don't know yet," he shrugged. "But...I was...I was..."

"What?"

"I was hoping, perhaps...maybe..." he sighed. "Do you remember what I said, when we were headed for the battle?"

"About how you and Yan were similar?" Criss asked. Crisply, she added: "Yeah."

"I didn't really mean that there was something about this place that made me forget my love," Riku traced a pattern on the floor beneath his feet. Red oak planks covered what had been merely dirt. "It was...that...well..."

Despite the tension, Criss turned to her new stove and started making some boiled eggs.

She smiled at how cute he sounded. "Just say it, Riku."

"I found something else I loved more. And I found out that even though I loved it more... there were other things I needed to have in my heart, too. My friends, my home... But I loved it most of all. It's just that I had room in my heart for other things, too."

"Riku, what are you trying to say? That you love cats?" She carefully dropped the eggs into the water.

He chuckled nervously. "Molly was right...you are naïve. I love cats, too, yes. But that's not what I love most of all. I love you, Criss."

She dropped the remaining five eggs in her hands on the floor. "Wh-What did you say?"

"I love you, Criss. And...I want you to come with me, to see all the other worlds out there. I know it sounds sudden, but—"

"Of course I'll go with you." She threw her arms around his broad shoulders. "I love you, too, Riku."

"FINALLY! I thought you two would never confess!" Molly burst out from Criss' closet, pulling a mop off of her head. "Now, when's the wedding and can I please be the ring bearer?"

And that, my friends, was the first wedding on Nekopolis that included a cat. But believe me, that was not the last. At fifteen, the two were also the youngest newlyweds in Nekopolis. That, as they say, is another story. We'll save that one for another day.

THE END!

The reason they didn't kiss is because Criss is a little afraid of being touched, and Riku respects that. Can we say AWWWWW....or bleh? Review? I can't believe I finished it!!!!


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